U.S. Mission Welcomes New Consul General In Lagos

The United States Consulate General in Lagos has announced the arrival of its new Consul General, Brandon Hudspeth.

The development was contained in a statement issued on Friday by the Press Office of the Public Diplomacy Section of the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos.

Hudspeth begins a three-year tenure as the senior U.S. government representative across the 17 states of southern Nigeria.

He succeeds Consul General Rick Swart, who retired from the U.S. Foreign Service in July.

A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Hudspeth is serving in Lagos for the second time, having previously worked as Political-Economic Section Chief from 2020 to 2022.

“I am honoured to return to Lagos as the U.S. Consul General,” Hudspeth said.

He said he was looking forward to reconnecting with old friends, building new partnerships and working with Nigerians to expand trade and investment, promote innovation, strengthen collaboration in the technology and creative industries, and create new opportunities for shared prosperity.

Hudspeth brings about two decades of diplomatic experience spanning Africa, Asia, Latin America and Washington.

Before his new posting, he served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Windhoek, Namibia.

His previous assignments include Director of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement at the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines, where he led U.S. civilian assistance programmes supporting law enforcement, the rule of law, counter-narcotics efforts and maritime security cooperation.

He also served as Political-Economic Section Chief in Bamako, Mali; Nonimmigrant Visa Chief in Havana, Cuba; and Political-Military Officer in Kabul, Afghanistan.

In Washington, D.C., Hudspeth served in the Department of State’s Operations Centre, on the Secretariat Staff supporting the Secretary of State, and as a Desk Officer in the Bureau of African Affairs.

A native of Texas, Hudspeth is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Morehouse College, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Economics.

He also holds a Master of Public Policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School and a Master of Science in National Resource Strategy from the National Defence University, where he graduated with distinction.